Category Archives: Networking

If your mentors all look like you, you have a mentor problem. Same goes if they all have similar backgrounds and work histories or if you have only one—or none. “Your mentors should be a diverse network,” says David Smith, an expert on gender workplace issues and co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. “If they’re not, you’re missing out on key perspectives and information, and … [ more ]

This is one thing Alice Rutkowski, an executive communication and presence coach who has worked with more than 8,000 executives over the past 20-some years, wishes everyone knew: Body language reflects what you believe about yourself and others. “Consciously and unconsciously, we are reading others and they are reading us all the time,” says Rutkowski, vice president of executive development at Sagin. “For example, whether you’re sitting or standing, crossing … [ more ]

By Molly Brennan, Founding Partner, Koya Leadership Partners We all know that networking is a key building block for professional advancement. But with the competing demands of personal and professional lives, networking takes time that many of us just don’t have. So, how do you network when you’re too busy to network? Here are eight ways to increase and mobilize your network, strategically and purposefully, without clocking hours at meet-and-greets … [ more ]

About 20 years ago, when she worked for the Seattle Mariners, Gail Hunter reached out to the YMCA of Greater Seattle about joining its board. “My family had been members forever and it was a big part of my childhood,” says Hunter, now vice president of public affairs and event management for the Golden State Warriors. “I wanted to give back.” But expanding your network, acquiring new skills or even … [ more ]

By Briana Curran, Vice President, Communications & Community Relations, Wells Fargo Over 8,000 miles, not to mention key cultural differences in home and work life, separate Wells Fargo team member Prathibha Mandhula and her mentor, Holly Rollefson. Yet Rollefson, an analytics manager in enterprise data and analytics in Minneapolis, says she has long made it a priority to advocate for gender and ethnic diversity throughout her career in technology. “Many … [ more ]

By Melanie Foley, Executive Vice President, Talent and Enterprise Services, Liberty Mutual Insurance Going it alone is incredibly overrated. And yet as a society we cling to this romanticized image of fiercely independent individuals forging ahead on their own. What drives that? Why is it—when each of us has access to our own network of friends, family and colleagues—that we consider it weak to ask any of them for help? … [ more ]

Click Play below to listen. In this hyper-connected world, where everyone is posting, liking and friending fast and furiously, are you actually leveraging your connections successfully? In this 30-minute teleclass, networking expert J. Kelly Hoey will provide some of her innovative strategies for forming strong relationships—the genuine, long-lasting kind that is mutually beneficial. Master the social tools at your disposal, and never clutter your calendar with dead-end coffee dates and … [ more ]

Featuring Kara Greer, Vice President & Manager, Talent & Enterprise Services, Liberty Mutual Insurance What do you think of when you hear the word “ecosystem”? You likely don’t think of your professional network. But that’s exactly how Liberty Mutual’s Kara Greer describes her network: as a diverse ecosystem filled with colleagues, mentors, teachers, coaches, family, friends and acquaintances—all people with unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Greer has been building her … [ more ]

By Deb Pine, Executive Director, Center for Women and Business at Bentley University Despite our strong mentor networks, women remain underrepresented in senior leadership and board roles. The 2016 McKinsey/LeanIn study “Women in the Workplace” found that women hold 46 percent of professional, entry-level positions but only 19 percent of C-suite roles. Does this mean that our mentors are failing us? No. Mentors are critical to guiding women on how … [ more ]

Lucky for women in tech and new media, Rachel Sklar is not known for being reticent. Once, she even publicly confronted Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, about publishing an article that claimed that women aren’t funny. “I wasn’t as articulate as I would have wanted, but I said my piece and stood my ground,” says Sklar, co-founder of non-profit Change the Ratio and membership organization Theli.st (which both seek … [ more ]